In the Industrial Era the growth of railroads had many benefits and drawbacks that affected the economy. One of the benefits was that railroads helped connect the country. Before the railroad industry became prominent different regions of the United States had differently gauged, or spaced, tracks so trains would need to switch off goods very often. When the southern states switched to the same gauge as the north transporting goods and people became much easier; this allowed for the same kind of track to be spread across the country. Another benefit of railroad growth is the jobs that were provided in the making of the railroads. The steel industry profited from making the tracks, lumberjacks profited from clearing the land to make room for
